Greece to Step Up Campaign for Return of Parthenon Marbles after Brexit

As the UK was officially leaving the European Union after 47 years of membership on Friday, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni was declaring that Athens will step up its campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from Britain.

Speaking to Reuters, Mendoni said she believes the circumstances are ripe at the moment for the return of the marbles, part of the great patrimony of the Greek people.

“It is the mentality that has changed, the fact that Britain is distancing itself from the European family, it is 200 years since the Greek revolution. I think the right conditions have been created for their permanent return,” the Culture Minister stated.

On Friday, Britain left the EU after three and a half years of intense negotiations, demonstrations, elections and turmoil that Britain had not seen in decades.

The historic moment, which happened at 23:00 GMT, was marked by both celebrations and anti-Brexit protests.

Candlelit vigils were held in Scotland, which voted to stay in the EU, while Brexiteers partied in London’s Parliament Square.

Greece plans grand cultural events throughout the year 2021 to mark 200 years since the beginning of its revolt against Ottoman rule.

Mendoni earlier told a conference in Athens “As Britain distances itself from Europe and the ideas that it advocates, Greece, rebounding from the recent crisis, will in coming years have the opportunity to attract attention and interest from an international audience.”

The Greek Culture Minister said her country would never give up the campaign for the marbles’ return, accusing Lord Elgin of being nothing short of a thief.

“Motivated by financial gain, publicity and self promotion, Elgin deployed illegal and untoward measures to extract from Greece the Sculptures of the Parthenon and a plethora of other antiquities in a blatant act of serial theft,” she was quoted as saying by Reuters.